Jump to content

Split Shifts...ya or nay?


Recommended Posts

OneLife2Live

I have never had to work a split shift so I don't know if I should suck it up or find another job.

 

My supervisor informed me she was notified by our head of dept that she does not want me working 11 hour shifts anymore. She is afraid I will get burned out.

 

I work 11 hours a day, twice a week. Head of Dept wants me to split my two 11 hour shifts so that I am only working 8. That means I would need to go home or find something else to do. I live in a rural community, nothing much to do. I live 15 miles from work one way. So, if I choose to go home, that would be 60 miles a day. I know, some people do that on a daily basis, I just don't want to. The Head of Dept said I choose to work there and I choose to live several miles from work, that is not the company's concern.

 

I have been working 11 hour shifts once a week for a year and not one thing was mentioned about me working 11 hours a day. Now with changes in another client's work schedule, I have to work two 11 hour days. Since we can't work over 40 hours, I was taking part of the day off on Friday's to keep my hours at 40.

 

Currently, our clientele is temporarily low. They cut hours so I can only work 30 hours a week. They approved me to take Friday's off like I have been doing for years as this happens every year. Why now is it an issue I can't cut my hours on Friday so I don't go over 40 when we get more clients? They want me to split my shift so I'm at work most of the day Fridays.

 

I would rather work an 11 hour shift and have a short day on Friday's. I think I will get more burned out driving back and forth to work several times in one day. Plus, the cost of more fuel, miles on my car, and more maintenance cost.

 

If you work a split shift, how well do you like it? Is it hard to go home for few hours then have to go back to work?

Link to post
Share on other sites
GunslingerRoland

Are you talking 60 miles highway? That is only an hour of commuting a day, not much at all... but I wouldn't be that impressed with working a split shift twice a week every week personally. Sounds like that would lead to even more burnout than working 11 hours straight through twice a week.

 

 

So if you are only working 30 hours a week how come you have to work 11 hours twice a week? Can you work 4 7 1/2 hour days or something?

 

 

Do you at least get overtime for this "bonus" shift?

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
OneLife2Live
Are you talking 60 miles highway? That is only an hour of commuting a day, not much at all... but I wouldn't be that impressed with working a split shift twice a week every week personally. Sounds like that would lead to even more burnout than working 11 hours straight through twice a week.

 

 

So if you are only working 30 hours a week how come you have to work 11 hours twice a week? Can you work 4 7 1/2 hour days or something?

 

 

Do you at least get overtime for this "bonus" shift?

Yea, thankfully it's highway so no stop and go traffic.

 

I agree, I personally would rather work 11 hour shift than an 8 hour split shift. Plus, I don't even know what my caseload is going to look like with new clients coming in. What if they can only meet on the days I work 11 hours? I have to meet their needs and schedule. Should be interesting on that part.

 

I have to work 11 hour shifts due to meeting with clients. I have one in the morning shortly after my shifts starts and before she goes to work. Then one in the afternoon, and then another one around 5:30-6:00pm after she gets off work. This happens twice a week. Currently I work 8 hours on Monday and 11 hours on Tuesday and Thursday. I am taking Wed and Fridays off since I can't go over 30 due to cut in hours. The goal was to work 7.5 hours 4 days a week but with appointments with clients running so late in the day, I can't. Hope that makes sense.

 

Nope, can't go over 30 when hours or cut. And when I go back to 40 hours, I can't work passed 40 so no OT.

Link to post
Share on other sites
GunslingerRoland
Yea, thankfully it's highway so no stop and go traffic.

 

I agree, I personally would rather work 11 hour shift than an 8 hour split shift. Plus, I don't even know what my caseload is going to look like with new clients coming in. What if they can only meet on the days I work 11 hours? I have to meet their needs and schedule. Should be interesting on that part.

 

I have to work 11 hour shifts due to meeting with clients. I have one in the morning shortly after my shifts starts and before she goes to work. Then one in the afternoon, and then another one around 5:30-6:00pm after she gets off work. This happens twice a week. Currently I work 8 hours on Monday and 11 hours on Tuesday and Thursday. I am taking Wed and Fridays off since I can't go over 30 due to cut in hours. The goal was to work 7.5 hours 4 days a week but with appointments with clients running so late in the day, I can't. Hope that makes sense.

 

Nope, can't go over 30 when hours or cut. And when I go back to 40 hours, I can't work passed 40 so no OT.

 

 

 

You might want to check the labor laws, although I know America has the worst labor laws of the free world. Most countries if you work over 8 hours in a day, you get overtime, even if you work under 40 for the week.

 

 

Also what kind of client meetings are they? Many business meetings take place over Skype in the modern world. That can be a really powerful tool for short meeting with people over distance. (I would consider travelling half an hour for a half hour meeting a good reason to consider a high tech solution)

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
OneLife2Live
You might want to check the labor laws, although I know America has the worst labor laws of the free world. Most countries if you work over 8 hours in a day, you get overtime, even if you work under 40 for the week.

 

 

Also what kind of client meetings are they? Many business meetings take place over Skype in the modern world. That can be a really powerful tool for short meeting with people over distance. (I would consider travelling half an hour for a half hour meeting a good reason to consider a high tech solution)

 

I'm not sure on labor laws in my area about working passed 8 hours. What I do know, is that our OT is not counted as a daily log but at the end of the week. For example, some people can work 10 hours shifts 4 days a week and have Friday's off. As long as their weekly hours do not go over 40. A lot of our factories have these hours once in awhile.

 

I have to go to the client's home for our meetings, well, technically it's visits, not meetings. So skype wouldn't be approved.

Link to post
Share on other sites
ChatroomHero

I wouldn't have cared for their answer, I would probably look for another job just to get away. To say you chose to work there and it is not their fault you live that far away is kind of aggressive since they are the ones that changed the format and asked you to split your shift.

 

 

15 miles is not that far to live from work, it's not like a typical worker lives in a city and just walks down the block to get a job in their field and if something happens to that job they walk a block away and pick up another one. If they split your shift you are wasting gas, mileage on your car and your personal time while you are driving back and forth between shifts. It ends up that you are still dedicating 11 hours for the sake of work but you are not getting paid for that extra time being burned. The overall scenario they are asking you when you do this is to dedicate more of your personal time at the company's benefit without them needing to pay you.

 

 

What if on the day you had to split your shift you had to renew your driver's license, or do gardening, or fix your roof...there are a lot of things you cannot start and finish if you have to turn around, get ready and drive back to work on your time off so it costs more of your personal time by not allowing you to be as efficient with it.

 

 

It's their prerogative and I rarely like to burn bridges but in this case if it were me I would get another job and not give them much notice. Walk in one day and quit and if they acted surprised I would say it's not my fault they decided to change my schedule and tax my time.

Link to post
Share on other sites
ChatroomHero
What if they can only meet on the days I work 11 hours? I have to meet their needs and schedule. Should be interesting on that part.

 

I have to work 11 hour shifts due to meeting with clients. I have one in the morning shortly after my shifts starts and before she goes to work. Then one in the afternoon, and then another one around 5:30-6:00pm after she gets off work. This happens twice a week.

 

 

My experience in companies that were less than stellar to work for is they will basically have you come in for the morning appointment, tell you to leave and come back in the afternoon and then tell you to go sit in the parking lot or something until your 5:30 appointment.

 

 

You will find you still have to be dedicated to work for 11 hours that day but told to disappear enough and go twiddle your thumbs somewhere else so you are not "there" for more than 8.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Sounds like a workman's comp issue or OSHA regulation.

 

I doubt they would make you do a split shift without a reasonable cause since you have been doing it for a while now, is it possible you show signs of burnout already ?

 

It sucks.. I work 12 hours days, 5 days a week and can't imagine what my day would feel like if I had to go away for a few hours and then come back every day...

 

Since they aren't budging the only thing you can do is do it, and look for another job that is..

 

The federal labor laws on overtime work on 40 hrs work week:

Under the FLSA, there are no limits to the number of hours an employer may require an employee to work in one workday or one workweek. However, employers are required to pay employees an overtime rate of one and a half times their regular rate for all hours worked in a workweek in excess of 40, unless the employee is otherwise exempt from the FLSA’s overtime requirements. 29 CFR 778.107. Conversely, as long as an non-exempt employee does not work more than 40 hours in a workweek, an employer is not required to pay overtime even if the employee works more than eight hours in one day or whether the employee works on a holiday, a Saturday, or a Sunday. Thus, in order for an employer to calculate the appropriate amount of overtime owed to employee, it must first determine the employee’s regular rate and hours worked by the employee in the applicable workweek.

 

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) - EmploymentLawHandbook.com

 

So unless you are exempt or your state has their own standards it isn't overtime as the issue.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
OneLife2Live
I wouldn't have cared for their answer, I would probably look for another job just to get away. To say you chose to work there and it is not their fault you live that far away is kind of aggressive since they are the ones that changed the format and asked you to split your shift.

 

 

15 miles is not that far to live from work, it's not like a typical worker lives in a city and just walks down the block to get a job in their field and if something happens to that job they walk a block away and pick up another one. If they split your shift you are wasting gas, mileage on your car and your personal time while you are driving back and forth between shifts. It ends up that you are still dedicating 11 hours for the sake of work but you are not getting paid for that extra time being burned. The overall scenario they are asking you when you do this is to dedicate more of your personal time at the company's benefit without them needing to pay you.

 

 

What if on the day you had to split your shift you had to renew your driver's license, or do gardening, or fix your roof...there are a lot of things you cannot start and finish if you have to turn around, get ready and drive back to work on your time off so it costs more of your personal time by not allowing you to be as efficient with it.

 

 

It's their prerogative and I rarely like to burn bridges but in this case if it were me I would get another job and not give them much notice. Walk in one day and quit and if they acted surprised I would say it's not my fault they decided to change my schedule and tax my time.

 

My experience in companies that were less than stellar to work for is they will basically have you come in for the morning appointment, tell you to leave and come back in the afternoon and then tell you to go sit in the parking lot or something until your 5:30 appointment.

 

 

You will find you still have to be dedicated to work for 11 hours that day but told to disappear enough and go twiddle your thumbs somewhere else so you are not "there" for more than 8.

Oh wow, I never even thought of it that way, thank you! If it comes down to it (and I hope it doesn't) your comment is going to be used into my resignation letter! LOL! I'll change it a little to fit it personally.

 

I understand they don't want me to work long shifts, I don't personally want to either. However, if that is the only option to meet my clients schedules I don't see anyway around it. So, why not just let me work the 11 hour shift and let me take some time off Friday's? I have to take some time off when our clientele is low. It has been that way for years. If a client has to use Friday's as a visit, I will have to work around that schedule, but until I get a client in this situation, why can't I just take most of Friday off?

 

When discussing this situation, my supervisor said "Ya know, they did approve others to meet with clients on Saturdays" I told her if they make me work Saturdays, I will quit. Not going to happen. I have a life outside of work and it's the weekend! If that is the way they want to push me out the door, then that would be it! That is one of the perks of the job, not having to work weekends. And I bet if they made me work weekends they wouldn't pay me more either! As long as I didn't go over 40 hours.

 

I'm not one to brag on myself but I do a good job at what I do. I have had clients tell me if they switch them to another person they will quit the program. I have had clients personally name me in our yearly reviews how good of a job I do and they are happy to have me be part of their lives.

 

I would be more burned out travelling back and forth to work four times a day than working an 11 hour shift. And I do work, I don't twiddle my thumbs waiting for my next appointment.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
OneLife2Live
Sounds like a workman's comp issue or OSHA regulation.

 

I doubt they would make you do a split shift without a reasonable cause since you have been doing it for a while now, is it possible you show signs of burnout already ?

 

It sucks.. I work 12 hours days, 5 days a week and can't imagine what my day would feel like if I had to go away for a few hours and then come back every day...

 

Since they aren't budging the only thing you can do is do it, and look for another job that is..

 

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) - EmploymentLawHandbook.com

 

So unless you are exempt or your state has their own standards it isn't overtime as the issue.

Oh, I am getting burned out alright! It's not because of the 11 hour shift. It's because I don't get any time off, vacation that is. Sure, I have taken a four day weekend here and there but that's usually because we have a holiday thrown in there so I take an extra day off as H makes plans for us to do something. I haven't had a week straight vacation in 2 years. Even if I could just sit home and just have some R&R for a week would be better than nothing. I can't take much vacation as we have to have so many appointments with clients in a year. If we don't meet that quota we have to meet with them twice in one week. That is a little difficult for some clients when getting one appointment in a week can be difficult. And when you have others in your caseload, it's hard to make it work at times to get two in a week.

And they are putting extra work into our caseloads to top it all off. Taking it off management and putting it on us. I understand why they are doing it (long story) but until it comes naturally to us to learn the added duties, it's going to be stressful.

I would gladly work 11 hour shifts if I could have a almost a 3 day weekend but they are not seeing it that way.

Thanks for the link, I will check into that.

Link to post
Share on other sites
If that is the way they want to push me out the door,

 

That is also a possibility as well..having you quit rather than laying you off.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
OneLife2Live

I just out the link, my company is not exempt from it.

They don't want to pay OT because they don't have a lot of funds to pay it. If we have to work OT, we have to get it approved. Sometimes they approve, but usually they don't. The only time I know of that they usually allow it is we have trainings out of area that we have to travel for.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
OneLife2Live
That is also a possibility as well..having you quit rather than laying you off.

 

It is a long process to replace the people in my position. If they want to push it to that, they are going to regret it over something so petty. It's hard to find people that remain at the job for a year or more. It's a very high-turn over rate position.

Link to post
Share on other sites
ChatroomHero

The owner of a company I worked for about 5 years was my dream employer at one point. Things changed and he made a very poor move and was suddenly cash poor.

 

 

I was working with a friend in a city two hours away from home. We had a strict no overtime rule because they were so tight on money. My friend and I drove 2 hours there, worked the day and after 8 hours we had 1 more thing to do that would take 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. I asked my friend if he just wanted to stay and get it done rather than come back the next day but we would not charge for it on our timesheets because of the overtime rule. He agreed because it would save 4 hours of drive time we would be charging to return the next day, plus an additional 1/2 hour to step up everything again to get started.

 

 

He happened to mention the next day to the manager that we stayed an extra 1/2 hour and already submitted our timesheets without charging, to save the company money... 8 hours of drive time, plus gas mileage, plus 1 hour of set up...versus potential overtime cost (we didn't even charge for)of an additional $15 between the two of us for the additional 1/2 hour of half time.

 

 

I caught holy hell for that. I actually calculated out that it cost the company $280 less between pay and mileage, not to mention I wasn't keen on adding another 200 miles on my car for no justifiable reason, nor spending another 4 hours on the road for a second day. He didn't understand, argued, gave me a hard time, and basically it was then I realized it was a lack of respect for my time and the "no overtime because we have no money" was rendered irrelevant by the fact they were willing to pay $280 more for it to be on straight time.

 

 

What I will say is where I work now I do very well. They respect my time, let me set my schedule and if there is a situation where it is particularly taxing or an unreasonable demand on my personal time to meet a client obligation or requirement, they bend over backwards to make it work for me too. They ask me if I can accommodate. More often than the other way around a client request or situation will come up where my boss will say she will co-ordinate something more reasonable and I will tell her I don't mind and I will make it work.

 

 

Bottom line, there are environments out there where they respect your time as much as they ask you to respect company time. There are companies out there that when you propose an efficient schedule that you know works best for them and includes YOU in the equation, they accept it. It just doesn't sounds like this company cares much about that.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Author
OneLife2Live
The owner of a company I worked for about 5 years was my dream employer at one point. Things changed and he made a very poor move and was suddenly cash poor.

 

 

I was working with a friend in a city two hours away from home. We had a strict no overtime rule because they were so tight on money. My friend and I drove 2 hours there, worked the day and after 8 hours we had 1 more thing to do that would take 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. I asked my friend if he just wanted to stay and get it done rather than come back the next day but we would not charge for it on our timesheets because of the overtime rule. He agreed because it would save 4 hours of drive time we would be charging to return the next day, plus an additional 1/2 hour to step up everything again to get started.

 

 

He happened to mention the next day to the manager that we stayed an extra 1/2 hour and already submitted our timesheets without charging, to save the company money... 8 hours of drive time, plus gas mileage, plus 1 hour of set up...versus potential overtime cost (we didn't even charge for)of an additional $15 between the two of us for the additional 1/2 hour of half time.

 

 

I caught holy hell for that. I actually calculated out that it cost the company $280 less between pay and mileage, not to mention I wasn't keen on adding another 200 miles on my car for no justifiable reason, nor spending another 4 hours on the road for a second day. He didn't understand, argued, gave me a hard time, and basically it was then I realized it was a lack of respect for my time and the "no overtime because we have no money" was rendered irrelevant by the fact they were willing to pay $280 more for it to be on straight time.

 

 

What I will say is where I work now I do very well. They respect my time, let me set my schedule and if there is a situation where it is particularly taxing or an unreasonable demand on my personal time to meet a client obligation or requirement, they bend over backwards to make it work for me too. They ask me if I can accommodate. More often than the other way around a client request or situation will come up where my boss will say she will co-ordinate something more reasonable and I will tell her I don't mind and I will make it work.

 

 

Bottom line, there are environments out there where they respect your time as much as they ask you to respect company time. There are companies out there that when you propose an efficient schedule that you know works best for them and includes YOU in the equation, they accept it. It just doesn't sounds like this company cares much about that.

WOW! You worked two hours away from home? That's a long trip to make 5 days a week! While I am sorry that it ended up finding another place of employment, I'm glad you found something that works for you..

 

I agree, the company I work for is making all this fit their needs and not what fits mine. Why does it matter if I take off early on Friday's as long as I am putting my 40 hours in and meeting with my clients? If I have a client that can only meet on Friday's, I would have to adjust my hours for that. But, until that time comes, why are they being so damn picky! They want me there 5 days a week. But, then again when my clientele is low, they expect me to cut my hours which means taking a Friday off and that is ok?

 

The other day I received an email from my supervisor. She told me I am choosing how to work my 40 hours a week schedule to benefit me by taking Wed and Friday off due to having to work 10-11 hour days twice a week. WTF does it matter? As long as I put in my hours. I think she wants me there five days a week so I can do other **** jobs around the place that no one else wants to. Or it could be that she thinks that other staff are going to be questioning why I don't work much on Friday's but they have to. If that is the reason, that's bull****! I am the only one out of 15 other staff that have to work until 7:30pm twice a week! They all get off between the hours of 4:00-4:30 pm. Three hours before I do. There is a couple of others that have to work until 6:00-6:30pm but that is only once a week for each of them.

 

I have been looking for something else but there is not a lot of options out there.

Link to post
Share on other sites
ChatroomHero

"The other day I received an email from my supervisor. She told me I am choosing how to work my 40 hours a week schedule to benefit me by taking Wed and Friday off due to having to work 10-11 hour days twice a week"

 

 

My response would be that I respectfully disagree. I would say that I was 'choosing' to work that schedule to make up for the added burden of being required to stay until 7:30 and work longer shifts to accommodate clients on certain days.

 

 

I would add that to expect you to split shifts and waste gas and money traveling back and forth takes away from my personal time and I would ask the supervisor if that is something she would want to do personally, and before she had a chance to answer say, "Neither do I".

 

 

I would lay it out like this:

1. You require me to be at work in the morning for client meetings and at night late for client meetings, that is not my choice.

2. I am not allowed overtime.

3. This agreement has been in place for a while, I accommodate you and you accommodate me in return.

4. Asking me to drive back and forth to work twice a day is an additional burden I did not agree to nor are others asked to do so, if you live 2 miles or 2 hundred miles away it is irrelevant. In a week your house could blow up and you might be forced to live 25 miles away, that really is none of their business where you live.

5. Paying for gas for an extra 30 mile round trip adds up to a pay cut.

6. If it's a 15 minute drive in good weather it could be 1/2 drive easily in bad weather, construction or heavy traffic. You are taxing my personal time by forcing me to drive home or else force myself to keep occupied away from home.

7. What if on the days you leave early, you had a night job, or night class, or donated time at a soup kitchen...now you could not do that nor could you fit those things in between a split shift in reality.

 

 

The bottom line is they need you to dedicate 10-12 hours or whatever, 2 days a week but want you at work the other days for 8 hours but somehow keep it under 40 hours. They are placing the burden on you to give up your time and money for free, to accommodate them. So they want you available to the company for 48 hours or so but only charge 40.

 

 

Again, it's up to them to require that but I wouldn't go for that very long. In fact I would give them the fair solution of reassigning your late night clients to someone else and say I want to work until 4:30 every day like everyone else. If they simply can't do that then how could they afford to lose or fire you?

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Author
OneLife2Live

Thanks Chat! I couldn't agree with you more on this!

 

I have left her email unanswered at this point. TBH, I am afraid I may say something I shouldn't out of anger, so it's just sitting in my inbox until I can get over being so angry about it.

 

My supervisor just recently resigned from the position and took over as Staff Resource Manager and another person has taken the spot as Supervisor. The new Supervisor that has been hired for the position is a friend and co-worker of mine. She has been with the company for 10 years, myself 13. I didn't want the position so I did not apply for it. Anyhow, she is going from one depatment to this one so I know a lot more about my position than she does. At this point, she doesn't know the struggles I am dealing with unless my former Supervisor told her. She hasn't said anything.

 

My former Supervisor who said I need to work split shift and is now Staff Resource Manager will be my Supervisors boss. I will have to go to her if I am having issues with the new Supervisor, my friend. Hope it doesn't come to that.

 

I have put this aside for now and going to do what I need to do. She told me not to worry about the split shifts at this time so I am not going to. So, I am going to take some time off early on a couple days rather than just all day on Friday so they can't bitch. We will see how that goes.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
×
×
  • Create New...